1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an improved, infant feeding bib.
More particularly, the invention relates to an improved feeding bib which is made of two parts of different rigidities, making it both confortable to wear and efficient in use for catching food solids and liquids dropped by the infant.
2. Brief description of the prior art
Most of the infant bibs presently available in the market for use by mothers having to fed very young kids are of two different types.
The bibs of the first type which is beyong any doubt the oldest one, consist of small aprons made of soft fabric or, more generally, flexible plastic material. The upper edge of the apron is usually shaped to fit the neck of the infant to be fed. Fixation means generally consisting of a pair of straps to be knotted or, more recently, of a band integrally extending the upper edge of the apron on one side of the neck of the infant and passing behind this neck for connection onto the apron on the other side of the neck of the infant, using a VELCRO or a snap-fastener.
This well known bib is easy to use and confortable to wear. However, it has the drawback of not preventing liquids or solids refused or rejected by the infant from dropping down.
To obviate this well known probelm, it has been suggested to fold back upwardly the upper edge of the apron to form a pocket for catching the liquids and solids dropped by the infant. This solution which is commonly used by the bibs' manufacturers is a good one but has a drawback too, in that the pocket which is made of the same flexible material as the apron is seldomy sufficiently opened to be efficient, especially when the infant to be fed is wriggling.
To obviate this other drawback, it has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,384 issued on June 30, 1953 to Henri Thompson, to use fasteners for rigidly connecting the upper edge of the front wall of the pocket to a protective panel itself connectable to a table by means of suction cups. This particular solution may be efficient but has the major drawback of lacking simplicity.
The bibs of the other type that are commonly available in the market, consist in small aprons made of very rigid material and formed with an integral, rigid trough extending along their bottom edges to catch anything dropped by the infant. This type of rigid bibs which is available almost everywhere, is very efficient as far as catching of foods and liquids dropped by the infant is concerned. This type of rigid bibs however has the major drawback of being very inconfortable to wear the rigid neck portion of the apron being often hurting, especially when the means used for fixing the bib are made of the same rigid material as the apron itself.